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A digital video recorder (DVR) can change your life. Well, your TV-viewing life, at least. TiVO is the most famous DVR on the market today, but there are plenty of PC-based hardware and software products that give you similar abilities and features and a lot more freedom.

For starters, you can now watch TV on your terms. No more staying up to the wee hours to catch an old movie or reruns of your favorite show. Instead, your DVR records it for you, and you can watch it whenever you choose. But a DVR is more than just a smarter VCR. It can also pause live TV and go into a time-shift mode, in which you can watch what was on the program a few seconds or minutes ago while the DVR continues to record in real time.

Dave came to have his insatiable tech jones by way of music—and because his parents wouldn't let him run away to join the circus. After a brief and ill-fated career in professional wrestling, Dave now covers audio, HDTV, and 3D graphics technologies at ExtremeTech.
Dave came to ExtremeTech as its first hire from Computer Gaming World, where he was Technical Director and Lead (okay, the only) Saxophonist for five years. While there, he and Loyd Case pioneered the area of testing 3D graphics using PC...
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